Cyber Security Workshop Overview — by Pat Bellemare, Chair of CWWA’s Security & Emergency Management Committee

Print this Article | Send to Colleague

On November 27, CWWA’s Security and Emergency Management Committee held a successful workshop on Cyber Security as part of CWWA’s annual event Window on Ottawa. Water and wastewater utilities rely heavily on Industrial Control Systems (ICS’s) to allow us to manage our treatment processes and we recognize that the threat of both targeted and accidental cyber events is becoming more of a reality in our business. This workshop provided attendees with an opportunity to get updates, experiences and lessons learned from cyber security experts from the federal government and private sector. The event offered a platform for networking with professionals in the cyber security and physical infrastructure protection from across the country.

Speakers from Microsoft Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, RCMP, Public Safety Canada, Canadian Cyber Security Incidents Centre, V2PM Inc. and Halifax Water provided entertaining presentations on the current cyber threat level facing the water sector and industry best practices to mitigate this threat. A special presentation by the City of Calgary provided intimate details and valuable insight on the challenges faced during the flooding in Calgary.

A key message delivered from Public Safety Canada and the RCMP in regards to Cyber Security was the need to build relationships with Water Sector Stakeholders. The CWWA Security and Emergency Management Committee is encouraging its members to join the Critical Infrastructure Information Sharing Gateway and to report all attempts to access networks or controls systems to the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC). A list of contacts has been prepared by Neil Thomas, Past President of CWWA and featured in this e-Bulletin. 

Back to Canadian Water and Wastewater Association eBulletin